swollen feet +ankles

Hi All,

Over here in my area of Aussieland it is cold (winter) and currently 1C outside and my ankles are still up like balloons.  I'm on frusemide and spiractin and adjust them as needed but have also been seeing an occupational therapist who specialises in lymphatic massage.  She prescribed compression stockings which I wear most of the time but also she gave me the following tips which seems to work.

Sit with my feet up as much as possible during the day
Don't spend more than an hour at a time at the computer before getting up and walking around
Drink my allowed amount of water to keep my system working
Have feet raised when in bed at night - I put a pillow in the bed and it works fine.

Since I've been doing this my leg swelling has gone down and stayed down.

Joan in Australia

thankyou nic, how are you?well i hope. i've never been to family day out at glasgow yet.i'll have to ask about it.hope we can get that coffee together one day eh. xx

It works like this:  if you're staying home, you don't pee much.  If you're going out, you spend most of your time peeing!  LOL

One thing that can cause fluid retention is also salt so its best to keep an eye on what salt you are taking in. I think its always best not to leave it out completely but not add it to meals.

I find that some days I don't pee as much as normal, or hardly at all.

When I asked Papworth about it, the only explanation they could come up with was my being female and it being linked to my menstruation cycle.... Only I don't agree with them.

Some days I pee for England, others I don't - especially the afternoons.

They say that my heart is engorged with fluid and there is fluid around it, so it's imperative I take my WTs every day without fail (which I understand) however I don't understand why, if there is fluid in my body, why it's not being taken and why I'm not peeing allll the time.

Mind you, I am quite glad of the respite sometimes - every twenty minutes or so can be rather irritating for me, let alone when I am trying to be out and about or - even worse - travelling!